So You Think You Can Dance, August 16th – And the Winner Is …

Speaking of Shane Sparks, the top eight perform the group routine to Ciara’s “Get Up.” It’s the wind-up toy intro with Lauren in her Matrix Trinity outfit again. This was definitely one of my favorite group numbers, and I STILL want to learn those hip-hop “Vogue” arm movements. Cat says it is one of the routines that will be featured during the tour. The top ten will be visiting 50 cities around the country, and many dates are already selling out. Cat asks Nigel about his “news” about the tour, which is that they’ll be taking alternates on the tour with them, i.e., Jesus, Anya, Shauna, and Hok, so there’s a good chance audiences will see routines that those four have been in also.

Wade Robson again tells us about how great the talent has been this year and remembers when he first saw Hok auditioning in L.A. The piece that he would like to see again is Dmitry’s samba with Lacey and Danny. While I do like this piece, again, it is not the routine that I would have chosen for either one of them as their season highlight. For Lacey, I would’ve chosen her emotional contemporary piece with Kameron in the very first week. The style that I really liked Danny in was his jibe (also in the first week) with Anya. I do love the music for this rumba number though, and they do an excellent job dancing, as expected.

Afterward, I again now realize why this pairing has been conveniently chosen. Cat must now eliminate one of them from the competition, which, just as a reminder, doesn’t necessarily mean that the other one has won. (Note to self: Cat never says that the person being eliminated has received the least votes.) Lacey has a big smile on her face but is already prepared, looking out to the audience and pointing to herself. She is right though; Lacey is eliminated and receives a ginormous bouquet of flowers. Her good-bye video of course includes a lot her dances with cutie patootie Kameron. Yay!

Tonight’s special guest performer is Nicole Scherzinger, a name that just rolls right off your tongue. She’s left the Pussycat Dolls behind to break out with her own pop single. I’m always wary of individuals who break away from the groups who got them started, but if they can do it successfully, more power to them. However, this is no Timberlake or Stefani… hell, it’s not even Lachey… this is just bad. Yuck. She may be pretty, but I really think she was better off with the PCD.

Shane remembers the audition of Phillip Shebib (sp?) who popped and locked like it was nobody’s business, doing things with his head, arms, and shoulders that are just indescribable. The thing that Shane wants to see tonight though is the west coast swing with Sara and Pasha by Benji. Yay! This was definitely one of my favorites as well, and I’m a big fan of both of the dancers involved. Once again, I think the original performance was a bit cleaner and a touch more energetic, but it’s still fabulous. Plus, I’m keeping in mind that this is the first time these dancers have performed multiple routines on the SYTYCD stage, so I’m sure their energy levels are being put to the test. Cat afterwards asks the two what it was like working with last year’s winner, “Was he tough?” Pasha and Sara, out of breath, give a “yeah, right” look. “Was it fun working with him?” Pasha gives a short, “It was fun,” but after Benji pulls some money out of his pocket and points to the two dancers, they fall over themselves with compliments, “Great! Fun! Fabulous! Wonderful!” The joke is cheesy, but I have to admit, I’m amused.

Tyco Diorio believes one of the standouts is from the first week, Danny and Anya’s jive. (Hello?! That’s what I said!) Another incredible routine was Jean-Marc’s foxtrot featuring the same couple. He thinks the choreography was like old-Hollywood musical at its best. The routine IS graceful and wonderful to watch, but I still would’ve preferred the jive. Anya still creeps me out a bit. I’m not sure what it is. Maybe it’s the super-wide, almost maniacal grin.

One of Tony Meredith’s most memorable and favorite moments was Mia Michaels’ group number where they were dancing all in black. (That was to Imogen Heap’s “The Moment I Said It.”) What he really wants to see tonight is Wade Robson’s Chaplin. This is Wade’s second recommendation, so he’s tied with Shane now. Also, this is Sara’s THIRD performance piece, which is testament to her talent. Jesús returns to the stage, much to the delight of many. As far as the pop-jazz routine itself, I’m still not sure how I feel about it. I know it’s a favorite for many people, but it’s just a touch “out there” for me. Not to mention I’m starting to tire of the zombie-walking that Wade’s so fond of. Jesús agrees with Cat that it’s great to be given a character like that to work with.

One of the moments that stands out to Mia Michaels was Sabra and Neil’s paso doble, and “at the end, when she slid down his body, like a doughnut… it was insane.” One of the most memorable moments that she would like to see again is Mandy Moore’s table dance with Sabra and Neil. I do agree that this is an incredibly awesome piece, but we’ve learned by now that seeing two of the final four dance together means that one will be eliminated. Sure enough, once they’re done dancing, Cat informs them that it’s time to eliminate another contestant. She calls Danny back to the stage, and the three await the results. The dancer walking away from the competition now is Neil. He too receives an incredibly large bouquet of flowers and, per Cat’s request, gives one last Wookiee impression.

With less than 20 minutes left in the show, we jump straight into the Mia Michaels group routine that Tony Meredith talked about earlier. I know Mia’s trying to tell some kind of story here, as she always does… but I’m just not getting it. Seriously, what’s going on?